If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

ANGRY residents last night accused local authorities of contributing to the bushfire toll by failing to let residents chop down trees and clear up bushland that posed a fire risk.

During question time at a packed community meeting in Arthurs Creek on Melbourne's northern fringe, Warwick Spooner — whose mother Marilyn and brother Damien perished along with their home in the Strathewen blaze — criticised the Nillumbik council for the limitations it placed on residents wanting the council's help or permission to clean up around their properties in preparation for the bushfire season. "We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," he said.

Good for them! We run a prescribed fire program out here and our motto is "Burn, Baby, Burn". We know all too well what happens when there are no fire breaks and the fuel load gets too high. I can't understand why the Eco-Nazis oppose burns. In both Australia and the United States, people have been intentionally burning the land for thousands of years. New growth forests and scrub land are wildly productive and diverse in terms of both plants and animals. Old growth forests have little biodiversity.

At the least, they should allow property owners to manage timber and brush. In Colorado, it's pretty much required in most counties.

Good for them! We run a prescribed fire program out here and our motto is "Burn, Baby, Burn". We know all too well what happens when there are no fire breaks and the fuel load gets too high. I can't understand why the Eco-Nazis oppose burns. In both Australia and the United States, people have been intentionally burning the land for thousands of years. New growth forests and scrub land are wildly productive and diverse in terms of both plants and animals. Old growth forests have little biodiversity.

At the least, they should allow property owners to manage timber and brush. In Colorado, it's pretty much required in most counties.

I know nothing of that type of science, but I tend to trust what the people who manage the forests for a living recommend, not what a bunch of nature lovers without clues want.

Good for them! We run a prescribed fire program out here and our motto is "Burn, Baby, Burn". We know all too well what happens when there are no fire breaks and the fuel load gets too high. I can't understand why the Eco-Nazis oppose burns. In both Australia and the United States, people have been intentionally burning the land for thousands of years. New growth forests and scrub land are wildly productive and diverse in terms of both plants and animals. Old growth forests have little biodiversity.

At the least, they should allow property owners to manage timber and brush. In Colorado, it's pretty much required in most counties.

This is a clear case of environmental PC behavior vs. reality and reality winning (as is always the case). Still I bet the deaths do little to change the minds of the tree huggers.

Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.

But even "controlled burns" can get out of hand. This 70-car pileup occurred after such an incident, the smoke mixed with fog to cause a "wall" of fog/smoke that instantly blinded drivers. The conditions deteriorated so bad, so quickly that the Sheriff's office decided not to give out tickets to anyone...

"Because we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex; it will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principals and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours." -Reagan

Sure, they can but they usually don't. All wildfires are "out of hand" by definition. I lived through the Hayman fires out here and I'll take controlled burns and prescribed fires over flash-overs any day.

We can't refuse to do something smart most of the time just because it turns out dumb on rare occasions. ;)

As we speak, stunned Australians are in the process of recovering from a vicious fire that has killed at least 200 people. Let's have a victim speak for himself. The account is from the theage.com.au (caution, a profanity ahead.):

ANGRY residents last night accused local authorities of contributing to the bushfire toll by failing to let residents chop down trees and clear up bushland that posed a fire risk.

During question time at a packed community meeting in Arthurs Creek on Melbourne's northern fringe, Warwick Spooner -- whose mother Marilyn and brother Damien perished along with their home in the Strathewen blaze -- criticised the Nillumbik council for the limitations it placed on residents wanting the council's help or permission to clean up around their properties in preparation for the bushfire season. "We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," he said.

"We wanted trees cut down on the side of the road … and you can't even cut the grass for God's sake." Later, the meeting was cut short when Mr Spooner's father, Dennis, collapsed in his chair and an ambulance had to be called. Despite losing his wife and son and everything he owned, a friend later said he had not stopped or slept since the weekend.

But even "controlled burns" can get out of hand. This 70-car pileup occurred after such an incident, the smoke mixed with fog to cause a "wall" of fog/smoke that instantly blinded drivers. The conditions deteriorated so bad, so quickly that the Sheriff's office decided not to give out tickets to anyone...